Vacationing to Walt Disney World during the holidays is one of the most exciting times of the year to visit Central Florida. The weather is cool and the crowds are low which creates a great atmosphere to be a part of. Another fun part of traveling during the Holiday months is the chance to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on select nights at the Magic Kingdom. This is a “hard ticket” event that requires separate admission from your normal Disney tickets. The current cost is $71.00 for adults and $66.00 for children ages 3-9. The party is from 7PM-12AM on select nights. Click Here to find a party that fits your schedule.

Photo courtesy Tom Bricker

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Is the party really worth the extra cost on top of an already expensive vacation?” The answer to that question will vary from family to family but to help you answer it for yourself lets go over a few things that the 2014 party offered.

Photo courtesy Tom Bricker

1. Free Cookies and Hot Chocolate

Yes, you ready that correctly, free, cookies and hot cocoa are located at selection stations throughout the party. That’s great and all but lets be honest here, those “free” cookies are worked into the price of your ticket. So you might be thinking “Wow that’s great, I’ll have to eat and drink my moneys worth.” Not as easy as it sounds. The stations were crowded with long lines that honestly were not worth the wait. TIP: Adventureland station never had a line so head there if you can.

2. Wait Times

One. Word. SHORT! This was the best part of the evening because most of the rides were walk ons. Now, there were a few exceptions such as 7DMT that had a 40-minute wait. Most all other rides were walk on or just a 10-minute wait. The ticket price alone would be worth it to me if I were just in it for the short waits. (Disclaimer: I attended the Nov. 14th party, which was not a sold out party like others.)

3. Character Meet and Greets

The party offers some meet and greets that are not typically available during normal park hours. Examples of this include the Seven Dwarfs and princess meet and greets with their princes. With that being said, in my personal opinion it is not worth paying the extra cost just for a few special meet and greets. (I spoke with a Cast Member who was looking at her “special booklet” for the night with a list of all the meet and greets. There were only a few that were not normally out during park hours). The lines are extremely long so if you do plan to meet any of the characters that are not normally available I would recommend getting into the line about 6:15pm to maximize your time wisely.

Photo courtesy Tom Bricker

4. Parade/Fireworks

There are two parades offered with a recommendation of watching the second one if at all possible. I would also recommend watching the parade from Adventureland, due to the amount of people that watch on Main Street. A special holiday fireworks show is put on at 9:30PM and it is worth the time to stake out a spot in front of the castle around 9pm to catch both Celebrate the Magic and a special Holiday Fireworks Show.With those four highlights of the evening I hope you can decide for you and your family whether or not the extra cost of the party is worth it to you. I was glad I went to the party as a passholder for the first time because I received a discount on the ticket. This is by no means something that must be attended every single year. I was also surprisingly disappointed in the amount of actual “Holiday decorations.” My family and I thought the park was not decorated in some places that it would have looked very nice. My last recommendation would be to dress accordingly. It was very cold during the party we went to so it is best to pack layers, just in case. The choice is yours and either way I hope you have a great trip and a Happy Holiday season. See you at the parks!

About The Author

Mallory Wilk is a senior at John Carroll University majoring in Communications. She has been to Walt Disney World every single year since she was 13 years old. Traveling is her passion and Walt Disney World is her favorite vacation destination. Collecting pins and enjoying a Mickey bar in the parks are among her favorite activities. Mallory is always planning her next trip and looking forward to hearing those two magic words, “Welcome Home!”